Description

In this course we will explore historical and current events through a variety of lenses including politics, geography, Indigenous ways of knowing, legal studies, and imperialism. Grade 8 students will cover the 7th century to 1750, Grade 9 students will cover 1750 to 1919, and grade 10 students will cover 1920 to the present day. This course will be taught entirely in French.

Expectations and Goals

The goal of this course is for students to be able to engage with historical and contemporary events and issues using a variety of critical and analytical lenses. In order to do this, students will engage with specific historical events and work to become knowledgeable about a variety of important moments and people in history, as well as the broader context of these events. They will then develop their skills in collecting evidence, determining significance, contextualizing events, and forming ethical judgements and perspectives. 

Format

The course will focus on five major topic prompts that pull from the grade 11 social studies themes. For each topic prompt, students will receive further instruction on how that topic applies to the time periods covered under the appropriate grade curriculum, by focusing on a few sample events that relate to the theme. Then, students will choose from topics that are relevant to the era studied at their grade level, and create an inquiry project based on their learning. Students will also complete a reflection quiz which will contribute to their grade for the unit (for grade tens, 10% of the unit grade).

Assessment

For grades 8 and 9, each component of the course will be assessed using a proficiency scale as described below then a “most recent – most consistent” approach will be used for final assessment:

For grade 10, each component will be graded using the above proficiency scale which will then be converted per the points value below. Emerging will be worth 50%-60%, Developing will be 60%-70%, Proficient will be 70%-85%, and Extending will be 85%-100%. Assessments that do not yet meet the threshold for a score of 50% will be discussed with the student and the student will have the opportunity to improve the assessment to achieve a passing score. If I have concerns about several assessments, I will reach out to the family to discuss support options

Course Schedule

Incorporated Throughout: 

Colonialism and contemporary issues for indigenous people in Canada and around the world (adapted from Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12)

Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions. (Social Studies 8)

Dates	Topic
27th of January – 21st of February	Cultural expressions convey the richness, diversity, and resiliency of B.C. First Peoples (from B.C. First Peoples 12). Indigenous peoples are reclaiming mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being despite the continuing effects of colonialism (from Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12)
24th of February –21st of March	Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, political change. (from Social Studies 8)Global and regional conflicts have been a powerful force in shaping our contemporary world and identities. (from Social Studies 10)
24th of March – 18th of April	Natural resource use and local, regional, national, or global development (adapted from Human Geography 12)The rapid development and proliferation of communication and transportation technologies in the 20th century led to profound changes in personal and national identities (adapted from 20th Century World History 12).
21st of April – 16th of May	Physical features and natural resources influence demographic patterns and population distribution (adapted from Human Geography 12)Diversity of B.C. First Peoples territories and communities (adapted from B.C. First Peoples 12)
20th of May – 16th of June	Understanding how political decisions are made is critical to being an informed and engaged citizen (from Political Studies 12). A society’s laws and legal framework affect many aspects of people’s daily lives (from Law Studies 12). Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems (from Social Justice 12).

The options for project format include:

AV presentation

5 paragraph essay *

Conference board

Newspaper article

Video News Report

Visual Art with written rationale

Literature Review * 

Rewrite a plaque or heritage minute

  * alternate formats are acceptable at teacher discretion
* all students must complete at least one essay and at least one lit review during the term